Everlastingly Loving You - Chapter 112

“You shouldn’t love yourself too much, honey.”

“That’s my job.”

“Look who’s talking, if I had to count every time your smile made my life a whole lot better, I’d be holding up an entire galaxy of stars, and then some.”

“We’re not socks, but I think we make a fine pair.”

She shot back, “Roses are red, violets are blue…”

She rolled her eyes.

“Oh who am I kidding, pickup lines are overrated.”

She crossed her arms.

Nicholas was about to blurt another pickup line before he decided getting straight to the point would be better than proceeding to flirt with his girlfriend.

His heart skipped a beat. Girlfriend.

He still couldn’t process she was his girlfriend.

“A double date, us, and Clarisse and Wilson,” he suggested.

That was an amazing idea.

“It’s a date,” Sophia declared, beaming.

Nicholas laughed, looking at his plate and hers. They hadn’t eaten anything.

“We should get to eating something before we end up having lunch earlier,” Nicholas stated.

Sophia resisted the temptation to use a pickup line she had in mind.

“How could I have eaten something? I cannoli have eyes on you, nothing else,” she said.

“It’s not my fault I like you a latte.”

He shot her a look.

“What?”

“I find it punny,” Sophia said amusedly.

__

“I knew you and her would make a fine pair,” Julia said to Nicholas.

Nicholas nodded in full agreement. He and her did make an amazing pair.

He wondered what it’d be like had Julia not introduced them to each other.

He’d still be stuck in Sanguis, without someone to return to or go on fun dates with.

He sighed, wondering why he couldn’t have met her earlier. Fate seemed to have other ideas for them.

He found it amusing, that she and him ended up together when they once simply playing parts in their intricate ruse.

Now though, everything was real.

He couldn’t explain how tremendously happy he was. He was over the moon with excitement.

He’d spent weeks planning how he’d ask her, the hundreds and hundreds of ways he’d propose to her and ask her to be his girlfriend only for him to think of the idea the day before he meant to ask her.

He’d changed everything and hurriedly planned the best surprise possible, desperately hoping Sophia would like it.

He had his doubts; that Sophia would demand what this was and turn him down, but it all went well. He smiled, it was working out well.

He was happy, she was happy, and that was all to it. That was all that mattered.

“How did you know me and her would make a great pair?” Nicholas asked Julia curiously.

Julia gazed thoughtfully at him.

“I didn’t,” she admitted.

“I simply relied on my instinct and instantly knew,” she explained.

“Your instinct?” Nicholas blinked.

Julia nodded. “Yes, my instinct.”

“So, I invited you to come down here and meet her.”

“And to my surprise, you already met her at the airport.”

“And before I tried to matchmake the both of you, you seemed highly interested in each other already, it didn’t take much to realize you were falling for each other.”

“And look where the both of you are now.”

Julia still didn’t know it was a ruse – how they acted around each other at the very beginning. She was still under the impression that they’d always been fond of each other when the truth was otherwise. He said nothing, knowing he couldn’t let Julia in on it. He and she were together now, that was all Julia knew.

He wondered how she hadn’t figured it was a ruse but shrugged it off. Another problem for another day.

“Join me,” Julia invited.

“For high tea,” she elucidated.

Nicholas was taken aback.

“Alright,” Nicholas nodded.

He hadn’t spent much time with her, and overall it wasn’t such a bad idea. Sophia was off with Louis, so he had practically nothing else to do for the time being.

One difference between him and her was that he didn’t need to rule his kingdom, his parents were still ruling and they were on their way to recovery from their illness. He wasn’t glad his parents were alright but instead that he wouldn’t have to rule over Sanguis any time soon, unlike Sophia who was prepping herself to take over the reins with the interregnum expiring extremely soon. Too soon.

“So you’re dating him now,” Louis said bitterly.

He took it with a grain of salt.

He didn’t expect to lose his sister.

It wasn’t really losing her, but… it was another man that loved her that was a complete stranger she hadn’t met till about two months ago. He couldn’t help but feel sceptical.

He’d always been protective. If Julia wasn’t going to be, he might as well be.

He knew Nicholas wouldn’t do anything, he’d got to know him quite well during the previous month but there were still a few unfilled gaps Nicholas hadn’t filled in.

“Oh don’t be like that, Lou,” Sophia said, giving him a pat on the shoulder.

“He wouldn’t hurt me,” she assured.

“I know he won’t.”

“I’m just…”

“You’ve changed so much,” he said proudly but at the same time, with a hint of sadness in his voice.

“What happened to the person I knew who thought dating and all that lovey-dovey stuff was overrated?” He asked with a scoff.

“She’s grown up and thinks differently now,” Sophia answered.

“How’s Marcus?” She asked him.

“He’s doing fine,” Louis answered.

“Sealed the knot yet?” Sophia asked.

“He’s a great guy,” she praised.

Coming from her, it meant something, Sophia wasn’t the type to praise someone so easily.

They’d have to earn praise from her, which never came easy, all Louis’ exes had to learn.

Louis was hiding something from her, Sophia presumed.

He wasn’t this secretive, and frankly, she hadn’t seen Marcus around in quite a while.

“So where is he?” She asked him.

Louis answered instantly, “Visiting family.”

“He won’t be here for a couple of days or so,” he blatantly lied to his sister’s face.

Albeit Sophia was sceptical over Louis’ words, she couldn’t do anything.

She knew her brother wouldn’t budge unless she had evidence Marcus wasn’t somewhere, off visiting family.

“Oh,” she said.

“You must miss him, huh,” she said to Louis, who heaved a deep sigh.

“I do,” he uttered.

“A lot,” he added.

“And what about you, how’d you spend your first morning as a girlfriend?” He asked enthusiastically.

Sophia rolled her eyes, “When you put it that way you make it seem as though that’s my only job – to be a girlfriend.”

“Which it’s not,” Louis said to her before repeating his question.

“I had breakfast with my boyfriend, ‘is all.”

“Really? Nothing else?” Sophia stared at her brother, “What were you expecting?”

“Us to what, consummate our relationship?”

“On the first day?”

“We haven’t even discussed the terms and conditions,” she mumbled under her breath.

Louis somewhat regretted asking Sophia that question.

He was simply glad she hadn’t brought up Marcus again, and that he wouldn’t have to hear anything about his sister’s sexual life. That, and Marcus was a sensitive topic to him he rather not discuss at the moment.

Why?

Because he and Marcus were on a break. They’d seen too much of each other and things were becoming…

He couldn’t describe it.

They’d formed a special bond, but things had turned rocky.

Marcus had insisted they take a break, even with Louis’ protests. But Sophia didn’t know that, she was still convinced he and him were still happy together, which they were until one point. He hadn’t any idea what Marcus was doing, whether he was visiting family, or taking a short trip to another kingdom…

He was left in the dark.

But, he couldn’t care less where he went. Just so long as he came back to him. He reminisced on their first date together.

Oh, what fun and joyous moments they were.

He asked his little sister, “How do you do it?”

“How do I do what?” Sophia blinked.

“How do you manage to balance both your personal and work life perfectly?” Louis asked.

“And how do you manage to commit?”

Sophia responded truthfully, “I don’t manage things perfectly and if I’m being completely honest… I have absolutely no idea how to commit.”

“Especially when it comes to being a girlfriend.”

“There’s no rulebook telling me what I can and can’t do, there’s no one I can talk to either than Clarisse who’s already broken up with her boyfriend once.”

“I’m just going with the flow and seeing where that takes us,” Sophia shrugged.

“So long as I’m with him and he’s content, I’ve got no complaints.”

“For now at least,” she muttered gravely.

“Why ask?” She turned to Louis.

“Just curious, is all,” Louis answered swiftly.

Sophia narrowed her eyes at her brother.

He was definitely hiding something. It was undeniable.

What the hell was going on between him and Marcus?